PANEK, Richard

PERSONAL: Married Meg Wolitzer (a novelist); children: Charles, Gabriel. Education: Medill School of Journalism, B.A.; Iowa Writers' Workshop, M.A.

ADDRESSES: Home—New York, NY. Agent—Penguin Group, c/o Viking Publicity, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014.

CAREER: Journalist and science writer. Leader of nonfiction writing workshops.

AWARDS, HONORS: PEN Award for short fiction.

WRITINGS:

Waterloo Diamonds, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1995.

Seeing and Believing: How the Telescope Opened OurEyes and Minds to the Heavens, Viking (New York, NY), 1998.

The Invisible Century: Einstein, Freud, and the Search for Hidden Universes, Viking (New York, NY), 2004.

Contributor of science articles to World Book Encyclopedia, and to periodicals, including New York Times, Natural History, Esquire, Outside, Discover, Chicago Tribune and Lingua Franca. Contributor of short fiction to anthologies and periodicals, including Ploughshares, and to National Public Radio.

SIDELIGHTS: Richard Panek's first book, Waterloo Diamonds, offers a portrait of a minor-league baseball team in an Iowa city facing economic and cultural challenges. When Panek wrote that book, he likely did not imagine that his career would take a turn into science writing. Since the mid-1990s, however, Panek has been an active voice in science journalism, helping general readers understand astronomy, physics, and other specialist fields. Panek's works Seeing and Believing: How the Telescope Opened Our Eyes and Minds to the Heavens and The Invisible Century: Einstein, Freud, and the Search for Hidden Universes explain important scientific advances by offering portraits of the scientists themselves and their individual impact upon the collective gathering of knowledge.

In Seeing and Believing, Panek covers 400 years of progress in the use of telescopic devices, from Galileo's experiments at the turn of the seventeenth century to the discoveries made possible by the Hubble Space Telescope. More than a simple rehash of historical events, however, Seeing and Believing demonstrates how successive astronomical discoveries shaped humankind's perception of its place in the universe. Carolyn T. Hughes in the New York Times Book Review felt that Panek "does an admirable job covering what amounts to 400 years of history." Booklist contributor Mary Carroll called the work "a gracefully written and useful blending of science, biography, and analysis." Similarly, Geographical reporter Miranda Haines wrote: "It may be hard to believe that such a small book about the rise of the telescope could be so captivating and poetic, but it is." A Publishers Weekly critic deemed Seeing and Believing "an exciting interstellar voyage" and "a delightful intellectual adventure, fleshed out with vivid cameos."

The Invisible Century examines two seminal thinkers of the twentieth century, Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein. The book shows how Freud and Einstein revolutionized scientific endeavor by working not from established scientific method, but rather "by making creative leaps into theories that couldn't be proved physically," to quote a contributor to Science News. Through biographical vignettes about the two innovators, and with coherent explanations of their theories, Panek argues that Freud and Einstein gave science novel intellectual approaches to psychoanalysis and physics respectively. "Panek's pairing of the dual icons Einstein and Freud . . . is both natural and inspired," suggested a Publishers Weekly reviewer. The reviewer also credited Panek with "formidable writing skills." In the New York Times Book Review, David Gelernter stated that "The Invisible Century, is fascinating and frustrating," noting that the book provides food for thought, even where one might disagree with the author's premise. Gelernter concluded: "On the whole, Mr. Panek's presentation is masterly. He almost makes relativity common-sensical, a virtuoso feat." A contributor to Kirkus Reviews stated: "The light [Panek] sheds on the historical context of [Einstein's and Freud's] discoveries makes for fascinating reading."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Astronomy, January, 2005, Jessa Forte Netting, review of The Invisible Century: Einstein, Freud, and the Search for Hidden Universes, p. 92.

Booklist, October 1, 1998, Mary Carroll, review of Seeing and Believing: How the Telescope Opened Our Eyes and Minds to the Heavens, p. 298; May 1, 2004, Gilbert Taylor, review of The Invisible Century, p. 1533.

Geographical, May, 2000, Miranda Haines, review of Seeing and Believing, p. 93.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2004, review of The InvisibleCentury, p. 433.

Library Journal, September 1, 1998, James Olson, review of Seeing and Believing, p. 209; June 15, 2004, Gregg Sapp, review of The Invisible Century, p. 93.

New York Times Book Review, February 14, 1999, Carolyn T. Hughes, review of Seeing and Believing, p. 21; August 11, 2004, David Gelernter, review of The Invisible Century, p. 9.

Publishers Weekly, June 12, 1995, review of WaterlooDiamonds, p. 56; September 14, 1998, review of Seeing and Believing, p. 56; May 3, 2004, review of The Invisible Century, p. 179.

Science News, September 4, 2004, review of The Invisible Century, p. 159.